How to Make Hummus at Home: The Beginner's Guide

Hummus is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips today. It makes a great appetizer or snack, especially when it's served with toasted or fresh pita. This Buzzle post includes an easy hummus recipe which you can effortlessly make in your own kitchen.

Hummus, also known as Humus, Hommus or Hommos, is the Arabic name for chickpea. It is a dip―a chickpea paste―made using chickpeas that have been soaked in water, which are then separated from their skins, crushed, cooked, and then pureed or ground. This sauce that is omnipresent in most Middle Eastern households also has a dash of lemon juice, garlic, and sesame oil or garlic oil. This is the miracle of hummus.

As exotic as it sounds, making hummus does not require a lot of efforts, and neither does it call for the use of too many fancy ingredients, the only exception being tahini. Now, tahini (sesame seed paste) is an ingredient in hummus which can be made at home, or could be store-bought as well. Here's how you make it:

Roast 3 cups of sesame seeds until they are fragrant, but do not brown them.

Cool the seeds. Then add them into the blender, along with ½ cup vegetable oil.

Blend well, until you get a thick, smooth paste. Your tahini is ready.

How to Make Hummus with TahiniIngredients:

16 ounces garbanzo beans or chickpeas

¼ cup the water from a can of chickpeas

3 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice

1½ tablespoons tahini

2 cloves crushed garlic

½ a teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain the chickpeas and then set aside the water that has been collected from the can.

Mix all the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Add the liquid from the chickpea can and blend the mixture for about 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly mixed.

Place the mixture in a large serving bowl and then create a sort of well in the center of the Hummus mixture.

Add about 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil in this well and garnish with some parsley.

Serve with toasted or warm pita bread or cover the hummus and refrigerate.

If you want you hummus to be spicy, then add a single sliced red chili or a bit of cayenne pepper.

Hummus can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days and then can be kept in the freezer for a month. If it appears to be dry, then drizzle a spoonful of olive oil into it.

How to Make Hummus: Hummus without Tahini RecipeIngredients:

1 can chickpeas or garbanzo beans

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation:

Blend all these ingredients in a food processor until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth.